The European Court of Justice

The Treaty of Amsterdam, although less ambitious than the Treaty on European Union (TEU), introduces a number of important changes to the Community and the Union. Among others, it extends further the competence of the Community, it formalizes 'differentiated integration' by establishing procedures for closer cooperation, 1 and it blurs the distinction between the Community pillar and intergovernmental action.2 The Treaty accepts that the Community and the Union have a role to play in areas traditionally reserved to the nation state and continues the trend towards social and political, as opposed to merely economic, integration heralded by the TEU.